Pufy 1010 B19 Bowen Fa23-1
Pufy 1010 B19 Bowen Fa23-1
Pufy 1010 B19 Bowen Fa23-1
Fall 2023
Friday, 12:10pm to 2:50pm
6 East 16th Street, Room 1001
Canvas Site: https://newschool.instructure.com/courses/1722181
Course Description
Sol LeWitt famously said that “ideas are machines for making art.” Integrative Seminar 1
awakens the possibilities of writing as an exciting, dynamic source of inspiration. It can
be an experimental space full of play and invention. It can be a formal and rigorous
space for debate. It can be a tool used to process, explore, express or reflect. Writing
does not simply represent thought, it is a catalyst to form thought.
In this course you will be introduced to a diverse range of texts (fiction, non-fiction,
poetry, journalism, theory) in order to consider the expressive possibilities of language.
Class discussions will examine how writing conveys ideas and emotions. They will also
make room for your voice to enter into larger critical and creative conversations.
At the heart of the integrative model is the connection to your Integrative Studio class.
Our goal is to make reading, writing and critical thinking essential components of the art,
design and strategic thinking processes. The two courses are tied together conceptually
through a shared theme (as defined by the keyword of your class) and through bridge
projects. Bridge projects are shared assignments between studio and seminar. They ask
you to explicitly and productively blur the boundaries between the two courses. What
happens when writing becomes a form of making, and making becomes a form of
thinking?
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Parsons School of Design - Integrative Seminar 1 - Fall 2023
We acknowledge first and foremost that our New York City campus is sited on the
unceded territory of the Lenape Tribe, and that Manhattan derives from the original Lenni
Lenape name for this land, Mannahatta. We respect the history of this site, and we are
grateful to be the current inhabitants of this place.
We acknowledge that the existing canon of art and design education in the United States
represents a disproportionate number of white male artists, designers, thinkers, and
writers. White patriarchal supremacy has greatly impacted Eurocentric history books,
influencing what history has deemed important enough for inclusion. By first
acknowledging the inherent bias in a canon that diminishes the Global Majority, we
actively critique and challenge this canon with a curriculum that is more balanced, more
just, more fitting to our contemporary world. Our curriculum elevates excluded stories
and overlooked works that have shaped art, design, and culture. We understand the
negative impact that invisibility has in education, and we understand the positive impact
that representation has in education. We want our curriculum to bend towards the arc of
justice. We commit to creating syllabi in which our student body sees themselves justly
represented and supported. We understand that deep structural change cannot be
achieved overnight, but that each small step in the right direction is crucial for growth.
We acknowledge that these efforts towards curricular justice are not enough in and of
themselves, but that the quality of life for all students and faculty of all identities,
genders, and races is important. Discrimination, harassment, racial aggressions
(microaggressions) are not accepted. Together we work to cultivate a safe space for our
community, where all members feel that they belong.
*This Statement is written by Beau Bree Rhee, edited by Diane Dwyer and Maya Samat
in Summer, 2021.
Learning Outcomes
By the successful completion of this course, students will be able, at an introductory
level, to:
1. Bring writing and making together through critical thought. (Applies to the Studio
and Seminar)
3. Use the online learning portfolio to engage with the idea of making as a form of
thinking. Demonstrate the ability to reflect on process, choices made, creative and
critical skills learned, and connections fostered, through analysis, reflection,
documentation and archiving on the learning portfolio. (Applies to the Studio and
Seminar)
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Parsons School of Design - Integrative Seminar 1 - Fall 2023
5. Write clear and cogent analyses of their own and others' work. Become conversant
with a variety of writing forms, both formal and informal, creative and academic,
including free-writing and process-writing. Begin to develop the skills and
vocabulary necessary for persuasive argumentation. Learn to craft coherent thesis
statements that result in a critical, thesis-driven essay with well supported
arguments. (Seminar)
6. Successfully attribute the use of others’ ideas and images by using a standard
citation format and thus avoid plagiarism. (Seminar)
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Course Outline
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Parsons School of Design - Integrative Seminar 1 - Fall 2023
Assessable Tasks
Assessable Tasks are activities, assignments, projects that satisfy the course's learning
outcomes.
Required Reading
You will be reading texts that are due each week. Unless otherwise stated, all class
readings are available via ereserves. You can access the readings through the course
Canvas page by clicking on the “ereserves” tab on the lower left. Announcements and
assignments are either listed in this syllabus or will be posted on/emailed to you via
Canvas. Please make sure to check your email and the course page on Canvas weekly.
Talking Notes
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Parsons School of Design - Integrative Seminar 1 - Fall 2023
These are one-page responses for all assigned readings that help practice critical
reading skills and stimulate class discussion. All talking notes should take the following
form on the page:
❏ Name
❏ Date
❏ Title of the article
❏ Author’s name
❏ A summary of the article in 3-5 sentences in your own words (no quotes)
❏ Your favorite quotation (or quotations) from the text (with page reference(s))
❏ A related question/issue for class discussion
These will be submitted online via Canvas and due at the start of every class; they will
be graded with either a ‘check plus’ (1 point), ‘check’ (.5 points), or ‘check minus’ (0
points). Late talking notes will not be accepted.
Writing assignments
Specific instructions will be given for each writing assignment. It is your responsibility to
make sure that you understand the assignment instructions. The following are general
guidelines that will apply to most of the larger writing assignments.
1. All written work is to be typed and double-spaced with one-inch margins, using a
clear 12-point font. Multiple pages must be stapled together, and your name and
the page number should appear on each page. All essays should have a title that
informs the reader of the essay’s main concern.
2. For writing assignments using citation, ideas and/or words that are not your own
must be cited using the Chicago Manual of Style format as explained here:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
3. The University Learning Center also has a great handout available for download
here: http://www.newschool.edu/learning-center/virtual-handout-drawer/
4. I recommend that all students visit the University Learning Center for help with
writing assignments. The University Learning Center provides students with
one-on-one help with all aspects of the writing process. To make an appointment,
log in to Starfish Connect, click “success network,” at the top of the screen, select
ULC from the list of offices, and follow the instructions.
5. Work submitted late without prior discussion with the professor will be lowered by
a letter grade for each day past the deadline (1 day late = B, 2 days = C, etc.).
Extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis. If you think you will be
unable to meet a deadline, please let me know as soon as possible.
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For additional help with coursework assigned during the semester, you are encouraged
to schedule tutoring sessions at the University Learning Center (ULC). Individual
appointments are offered in Writing (all levels), Math, Adobe, Computer Programming,
Oral Presentations and Time Management. Sessions are interactive, with both tutor and
student participating. For a complete list of services, workshops, and general
information, visit www.newschool.edu/learning-center.
Make sure to use the MANDATORY Parsons Learning Portfolio Template- and do
not change the template as this is a shared component of the Parsons experience. Also
please add a Learning Portfolio link to your Canvas Bio. This allows fellow students
and faculty to access your portfolio.
Libraries
Students complete an online library orientation as part of Integrative Seminar 1. They
learn about The New School Libraries and how to search BobCat, the library catalog, to
access physical and online books, articles, databases, images, and other resources.
Students may also schedule one-on-one research consultations with librarians through
the library website. The Integrative Studio and Seminar Research Guide is available at
http://guides.library.newschool.edu/iss1.
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● quality of work as evidenced in in-class exercises, drafts, final assignments, and the
learning portfolio
● attendance in class and the timely completion of assignments
● engagement in the cross-course exploration that occurs between the Integrative
Studio and Integrative Seminar
Attendance is also crucial because it allows you to hand in your work on time. Work
submitted late without prior discussion with me will be lowered by a letter grade for each
day past the deadline (1 day late = B, 2 days = C, etc.). Extensions will be granted on a
case-by-case basis. If you think you will be unable to meet a deadline, please let me
know as soon as possible. (This is reiterated on a section called “Writing assignments”
above.)
Students who must miss a class session should notify the instructor and make up any
missed work as soon as possible- ideally in an email prior to the class meeting. The
student is responsible for following the course on Canvas and continuing to meet due
dates, regardless of absences. A student who anticipates an extended absence should
immediately inform the faculty and his or her program advisor.
Projects*: 60%
Talking notes 10%
Bridge Project 1 10%
Bridge Project 2 10%
Bridge Project 3 10%
Bridge Project 4 and presentation 15%
Bridge Project 5 5%
100% TOTAL
______________________________________________________________________
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Resources
The university provides many resources to help students achieve academic and artistic
excellence. These resources include:
● Making Center
The Making Center is a constellation of shops, labs, and open workspaces that
are situated across the New School to help students express their ideas in a
variety of materials and methods. We have resources to help support
woodworking, metalworking, ceramics and pottery work, photography and film,
textiles, printmaking, 3D printing, manual and CNC machining, and more. A staff
of technicians and student workers provide expertise and maintain the different
shops and labs. Safety is a primary concern, so each area has policies for
access, training, and etiquette with which students and faculty should be familiar.
Many areas require specific orientations or training before access is granted.
● Health and Wellness: additional services and support available to New School
students.
Grading Standards
Undergraduate
A student’s final grades and GPA are calculated using a 4.0 scale.
A [4.0] Work of exceptional quality, which often goes beyond the stated goals of
the course (95-100%)
A- [3.7] Work of very high quality (90% - <95%)
B+ [3.3] Work of high quality that indicates higher than average abilities (87% -
<90%)
B [3.0] Very good work that satisfies the goals of the course (83% - <87%)
B- [2.7] Good work (80% - <83%)
C+ [2.3] Above-average work (77% - <80%)
C [2.0] Average work that indicates an understanding of the course material;
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Grade of W
The grade of W may be issued by the Office of the Registrar to a student who officially
withdraws from a course within the applicable deadline. There is no academic penalty,
but the grade will appear on the student transcript.
Grades of Incomplete
The grade of I, or temporary incomplete, may be granted to a student under unusual and
extenuating circumstances, such as when the student’s academic life is interrupted by a
medical or personal emergency. This mark is not given automatically but only upon the
student’s request and at the discretion of the instructor. A Request for Incomplete form
must be completed and signed by the student and instructor. The time allowed for
completion of the work and removal of the “I” mark will be set by the instructor with the
following limitations:
Canvas
Use of Canvas may be an important resource for this class. Students should
check it for announcements before coming to class each week.
Electronic Devices
The use of electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, etc.) is
permitted when the device is being used in relation to the course's work. All other
uses are prohibited in the classroom and devices should be turned off before
class starts.
Responsibility
Students are responsible for all assignments, even if they are absent. Late
assignments, failure to complete the assignments for class discussion and/or
critique, and lack of preparedness for in-class discussions, presentations and/or
critiques will jeopardize your successful completion of this course.
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I will assess each student’s performance against all of the assessment criteria in
determining your final grade.
The New School views “academic honesty and integrity” as the duty of every
member of an academic community to claim authorship for his or her own work
and only for that work, and to recognize the contributions of others accurately
and completely. This obligation is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual
debate, and creative and academic pursuits. Academic honesty and integrity
includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of
sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on
research findings or any aspect of the work of others (including that of faculty
members and other students). Academic dishonesty results from infractions of
this “accurate use.” The standards of academic honesty and integrity, and citation
of sources, apply to all forms of academic work, including submissions of drafts
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of final papers or projects. All members of the University community are expected
to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty and
integrity. Please see the complete policy in the Parsons Catalog.
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